Windows 11 repair/reset failed, Microsoft account and OneDrive won't open

Question

Windows 11 repair/reset failed, Microsoft account and OneDrive won't open

fadila ibrahim 0

Hi, I need help with a Windows 11 problem on my HP EliteBook 830 G6.

My laptop previously had a virus, so I reset the PC. After the reset, I noticed that Windows did not seem to be installed/working correctly.

The main problems I'm having are:

I cannot sign in to my Microsoft account from Windows. The sign-in window opens and then closes immediately.

OneDrive does the same thing. The window opens and then closes automatically, so I cannot sign in or set it up.

The Windows taskbar area where the weather/news information normally appears is missing.

Windows Update has been behaving strangely. A Windows 11 25H2 repair update reached 99% and stayed there for several hours. After restarting, the percentage went back down and later reached 99% again.

I tried using Reset this PC → Keep my files, but Windows eventually gave me: “There was a problem resetting your PC. No changes were made.”

Windows also suddenly showed “Activate Windows” even though this laptop previously had Windows activated.

ESET detected and quarantined malware after the previous reset.

There was also a Microsoft/Office-related problem before the virus incident. Microsoft Office/Word/PowerPoint were showing that they were unlicensed, and I was getting messages/options related to repairing Office. This problem existed before the virus was detected.

I am trying to figure out how to fix these problem thank you.

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2 answers

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Answer 1

ApexNáV 265

Check if this repair method works:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/deployment/install-upgrade/fix-issues-by-reinstalling-the-current-version-of-windows

If it doesn’t work, back up your important data to an external drive, cloud storage, or a pen drive. Then perform a clean installation of Windows using a bootable USB drive.

If the system does not detect the USB drive when create from windows media creation tool, you should create the bootable USB using Rufus with the GPT partition scheme. Leave the other settings unchanged unless you specifically want to modify them.

Steps to create bootable USB using Rufus:

Back up the USB drive because it will be erased. Use a 16 GB or larger drive.
Download the Windows ISO from here and Rufus from here.
Open Rufus, select the USB drive and Windows ISO.
Choose GPT as the partition scheme and UEFI as the target system. Leave the other settings unchanged.
Click START. If Rufus displays Windows customization options, select only the options you specifically need and confirm the warning.
After Rufus finishes, boot the computer from the USB drive to install Windows.

Also, in another answer, EmilyS726 suggests using at least an 8 GB USB flash drive. However, that may no longer be sufficient because newer Windows 11 ISO files are larger than 8 GB. You should use a slightly larger pen drive, such as a 16 GB USB drive.

CrazyKats 19,585 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-09-14T14:49:43.2966667+00:00

Apex, can you kindly post a source for your

16GB USB recommendation?

Been a Windows Insider for almost 12 years

and we've never required a 16GB USB.
ApexNáV 265 Reputation points

2026-09-14T16:11:56.3333333+00:00

Try downloading the latest Windows 11 ISO directly from Microsoft’s official page. The ISO file is now over 8 GB in size, previously it doesn't. which is why I recommended a 16 GB USB drive. I didn’t mean that 16 GB is the absolute minimum, I Just wanted to say that to use Higher size USB then 8GB, but 12 GB drives are not widely available, so 16 GB is a more practical choice.

Did I said anything wrong here? Let me know

Answer 2

Hello

At this point, after what you've tried already, I think it would make sense to back up your personal files, and perform a clean install.

The following steps should be done on a working Windows computer:

Download the Windows Media Creation Tool from Microsoft's official website. https://www.microsoft.com/software-download/windows11 click on the "download now" button under "Create Windows 11 Installation Media"

Run the tool and select "Create installation media for another PC."

Choose "USB flash drive" as the media to use for the installation and select "Next."

Connect a USB flash drive with at least 8 GB of free space to your computer.

Select the USB flash drive you want to use, and then select "Next."

The tool will then download the required files and create the installation media.

=====================================================

Now these steps will be done on your problematic computer:

Go to the computer's BIOS boot menu to have it boot from the USB drive.

Follow the on-screen instructions to install Windows 11, making sure to choose "Custom install" and select the option to delete all existing partitions.

Once the installation is complete, you'll have a clean installation of Windows 11 on your computer.

================

I wouldn't worry about the license issue for now. As the clean install could likely address that if the device came with license preinstalled. The current license issue can be due to virus issue.